We've barely passed the halfway mark for 2018, so how will CA pay to fight the rest of the year's wildfires? Plus, L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson talks about reaching an agreement on possible K-Town homeless shelter locations. And the L.A. Unified School District releases its school safety report.

The cost of fires

(Starts at 1:20)

Eighteen fires are currently burning throughout California. All these fires come at a steep cost for the state. Cal Fire burned through one-quarter of its fiscal budget for the year —which started in June— by the end of JULY. That's about $114 MILLION dollars. But that's just one part of it. The U.S. Forest Service has spent more than $73 MILLION on the Ferguson Fire in Yosemite. So who's paying for it all and - really - how sustainable is this?

Guest:

Cal Fire’s Daniel Berlant

Koreatown homeless shelter location

(Starts at 9:10)

The first of fourteen temporary homeless shelters in LA is finally taking a solid step forward. Reaching an agreement for the Koreatown plan has been tumultuous, to say the least. There was even a recall threat for a local city council member. We check-in with him for the latest.

Guest:

L.A. City Councilman Herb Wesson

Hot water oceans

(Starts at 16:24)

In the last week, offshore water temperatures near the Scripps pier in San Diego County have been hit record-breaking highs of over 78 degrees. It's the warmest it's ever been in the 102 years measurements have been recorded. Rising temperature might lead to rising waters but ALSO dangers to marine life and the food web.

Guest:

Kerry Nickols, researcher and assistant professor who studies marine biology and conservation along the California Coast

Spotting Giant Sea Bass Project

(Starts at 21:40)

Talk to any old fisherman in these parts and you'll likely hear lore of wrestling with a giant sea bass at the end of the line. You don't hear those stories too much anymore though. It isn't because they were ocean myths but because the giant sea bass are now endangered. So, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and UC Santa Barbara have launched launched a citizen scientist program to help save the legendary fish.

A giant sea bass sports his unique pattern of spots for a diving photographer. (Courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific)
Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach

Making electricity in the desert ... with water

(Starts at 26:40)

To create energy in the sunny desert area near Joshua Tree, there are the obvious ideas: solar and wind. But the federal government last week approved a key piece for a multi-billion dollar hydroelectric plant there. That plant could power about 900,000 homes in the state each year. While some environmentalists protest the idea, it has bipartisan support from the likes of the Trump administration AND from California Governor Jerry Brown.

Guest:

Sammy Roth, reporter for the Desert Sun

LA Unified School District may be falling short on safety

(Starts at 34:08)

L.A.'s public schools may not be adequately prepared to deal with various safety issues, including campus design, random student searches, mental health services and coordination with other public agencies. So says a new report out Monday from a panel put together by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer earlier this year, following the deadly shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.